The max is not enough for everyone: Hellgeth in the interview.

There are customers for whom an SL 500 is simply not fast enough. For them an AMG is the perfect answer. Anyone who finds a Unimog not quite extreme enough is advised to pay a visit to Hellgeth Engineering.

Hellgeth Engineering builds vehicles as its customers wish them.

Thick forest, on the border between Bavaria and Thuringia. The sonorous growl of a six-cylinder engine cuts through the dense greenery. The well-tuned ear recognises it as an OM 936, the almost 8-litre capacity in-line engine from Mercedes-Benz. Suddenly, a 5000 series Unimog breaks through the undergrowth. The raised chrome-plated exhaust pipes of the 'Mog' merrily trumpet the power of 300 horses and 1,400 newtonmeters of maximum torque. The driver is grinning widely ...

But hang on – something's not quite right here. A U 5023 with a six-cylinder engine? That's not part of the Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks range. True – but also not true. Because the U 5030 exists. It might not actually be built by Mercedes-Benz, but it still has the manufacturer's blessing. Hellgeth Engineering builds vehicles exactly as its customers wish them.

Very special 'Mogs', even for the most extreme tastes.

In fact, the power-Unimog from the extreme off-roader series is just one of many playgrounds for the inventive skills of the Hellgeth brothers Andreas (the project manager) and Jürgen (the engineer). The two have realised their dream of establishing their own vehicle-building business in the remote area close to the border of the state of Thuringia. Their customers come from all over the world: Russians looking to run their Unimog at freezing temperatures down to minus 50 degrees in Siberia. Middle-Eastern sheikhs looking to climb the steepest sand dunes at 40 degrees in the shade to find the best hunting conditions for their falcons. But also quite 'normal' globetrotters, for whom a standard Unimog is simply not enough.

An engine modification to cope with poor fuel quality; a chassis capable of easily meeting the challenges of the Rallye Dakar; a roll bar that will protect even in the event of the most dramatic roll-overs; or maybe some smart chrome so the Unimog doesn't look quite so much like a workhorse? Hellgeth can do it all. The Hellgeth brothers are convinced that real adventure begins where surfaced roads end. That is where the Unimog comes into its own. Whether on an expedition, for a race, a hunt, or just for fun: Hellgeth's modifications push the limits of extreme even further. There is only one thing that Hellgeth does not want: to be normal, providing off-the-peg products. So it's no wonder that the Unimog forms the basis for many of its modifications.